Tags

Ahead of this weekend’s play, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its most recent team rankings. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, after dropping three straight matches in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, Texas fell 10 spots to No. 21.

The Longhorns started at No. 12 at the beginning of the season and quickly moved to No. 11 after upsetting then-No. 11 California. Texas, however, has dropped four of its last five matches. No. 1-ranked singles player Bianca Turati lost her first match of the season in the final match of that unsuccessful stretch.

The Longhorns look to end their streak of poor play this weekend as they return to their home courts after a four-week stretch of travel. Texas will host South Florida (1–4) Friday before going head-to-head against No. 6 Stanford (2–1) on Saturday.

Stanford, the 2017 NCAA runner-up and the 2016 national champion, will provide a tough challenge for the Longhorns. But it’s an opportunity to see how they’ve improved since being dominated last weekend.

Among those to watch this weekend, Turati will likely face tough competition as Stanford holds four of the top 125 singles players in the nation. Anna Turati, Bianca’s twin sister, has a 14–2 overall record since the beginning of the fall season, and she recently rose to No. 41 in the ITA rankings.

As of now, the Longhorns are scheduled to play both games in the new Texas Tennis Center, their first opportunity to do so this season. But the forecast is predicting rain for the weekend and might force the Longhorns to play indoors.